Daikon radish

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Disced and planted a mix with purpletop turnip and T-raptor (rape/turnip cross) and a few other grasses and legumes on 9/13 and think I'm see either the turnips or T-raptor. This spot was in the shade so very little cover here. Blend was recommended by NRCS soil scientist. My place is pretty compacted so I hope this helps.
 

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Turned the cows into a small area of the radish yesterday. There was stockpile fescue in the area also so they.smelled of the radish and went to eating the fescue. Within a day the fescue will be eaten so I will see how they like the radish. I will give them a small strip ever fee days until it's gone
 
That radish looks impressive Kenny. I planted oats and turnips once and was amazed how the cows dug the turnips out, they were mud halfway to their eyes. Looked like hogs rooting, and it wasn't for the faint of heart to be near either end of them. Turnips produce awful smelling gas.
 
Don't wait too long before grazing. Radishes are not very palatable.

Not my favorite.
I went back and looked at what they had done. 20 cows and 16 calves on .2 acres but only .1 had the radish. They had eaten the tops and pulled most of them up but not much evidence that they had eaten any of the roots. Hopefully they will today.
Going to give them a .2 acre every day for the next 9 days.
 
Radishes are something I want to try. Interesting to see what they do for others.
 
I am curious to see what it does to the soil make-up and fertility next year.
I will report on that next summer. I have learned that they can't stand grass competition very well.
I planted a couple lb on a log deck that was very compacted and pretty poor soil. Very little growth and a root the size of a pencil.
 
I found their reputation for growing deep and breaking up soil compaction to be extremely exaggerated. I didn't seen any evidence of it at all actually, with most of the radish above of the soil. I think for maximum forage, rape seed produces best. For food plots, I've gone back to a mix of turnips and rape seed. I've not heard much of using rape seed for grazing, is it not palatable to cattle? The deer love it.
 
In our part of the country Labor day is what I recommend as the cut off date for planting them....planting them after mid september is a waste of money
they winter kill when it gets down to the upper teens at night...17 18 or so....
so they have to have the degree growing days of the early fall to achieve growth.... while the big root does not go so far inot the soil they do put a good rooting system pretty deeply.....
however I have found that Dwarf Essex rape will root about as deeply and it does not winter kill and is less restrictive on seeding dates....I put it in my late cool season mixes....
generally the brassicas will not complete very well if there is a decent grass stand...but I find that to be pretty true across the cover crop spectrum....existing grass will outcompete the cover crop...
a diverse multi species cover crop is the preferred way to go to me....better chance that something will catch and achieve the desired benefit.
 
Well I have figured out that mine eat the tops and pull up most of the roots the first day. Seems like the second day when they can't find any tops they are cleaning up the roots pretty good.
 

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